Spartanburg's New Futuristic Government Complex

Spartanburg's future $80 million government complex will be unique in South Carolina

Spartanburg County and the City of Spartanburg have unveiled drawings for new local government offices to be situated at the corner of South Church Street and West Broad Street in downtown.

Construction of the five-story administrative building is set to get underway in October and should take about two years to complete.

Funded by the penny sales tax approved by voters in 2017, it will be the first joint city-county government of its kind in the state.

“The new facility will enable the county and city to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for residents, bringing together services that previously required trips to multiple locations and streamlining operations for both governments and the people they serve,” officials said in a statement about the project.

“The public cannot always differentiate between county and city government services," County communications director Scottie Kay Blackwell added. "Residents sometimes appear at the wrong building, resulting in confusion and frustration. A shared location will provide a single visible source of government for the public.”

The joint facility should enable the two entities to share resources and strengthen partnerships, Blackwell said.

The facility will feature new chamber and meeting spaces and outdoor areas for public use. It will also include a clock tower.

Plans for the building were developed in collaboration by David M. Schwarz Architects of Washington, D.C., and Spartanburg-based McMillan Pazdan Smith Architects.

The two firms have partnered on a variety of local projects in recent years, including the AC Hotel located on West Main Street.

They are jointly working to design a collection of buildings – a hotel, an office building, and apartments – collectively referred to as Project Core. Spartanburg-based Johnson Development Group is leading that project.

The designs share traditional stylistic qualities.

“The (city-county government) building’s exterior design will achieve a timeless, civic expression through its traditional proportions and masonry materials,” according to the statement. “The overall design acknowledges Spartanburg’s historic downtown while incorporating elements such as a glassy lobby façade, asymmetrical composition and streamlined masonry detailing that identify it as a building of its time.”

Blackwell said plans have not yet been made for the county administrative office building, located on North Church Street.

The City of Spartanburg, meanwhile, has temporary offices on West Broad Street. City staff will be on the move again in the coming months to make way for elements of Project Core.